


TwiLit (Twilight Rewritten)

by magzdilla



Series: TwiLit (Twilight Rewritten) [1]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26644954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magzdilla/pseuds/magzdilla
Summary: What would have happened if Bella had found Edward utterly repulsive? How would the lives of everyone in Forks been different?
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Jacob Black/Bella Swan
Series: TwiLit (Twilight Rewritten) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939048
Comments: 19
Kudos: 78





	1. 1

1.

“We’re here,” my mom said.  
I looked up from my Carl Hiaasen book and put my thumb in it to hold my place. We’d just pulled into Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, and it occurred to me that I should finally take my nose of my book and look around one last time.  
“Bell, are you really okay with this?” my mom said regretfully.  
“Mom, it’s okay,” I said. “We’re both starting out from new places. It’s okay.” My mom had just gotten remarried to a man with two rambunctious sons, and while Phil was nice, his kids were mildly destructive, and it was also overwhelming to be cramped up in a small bungalow when before it had just been me and Mom. Staying with Dad for at least a year would give all of us some much needed space.  
Mom checked her phone. “Well, the weather in Forks is…”  
“Let me guess. Rainy,” I said, half-laughing. While I’d miss Mom terribly, I wouldn’t miss Phoenix: the relentless heat dried out my hair and skin constantly, and the flat, endless suburban sprawl of identical outlet malls was oppressive and boring.  
In the terminal, Mom handed me my backpack, saying, “You call me if you need anything. Anything, okay?” She hugged me hard, and my eyes burned but I didn’t want her seeing me cry. That would just upset her.

When I landed in Port Angeles, Dad was waiting there for me with his police cruiser. I inwardly cringed. The last thing I wanted was to be known as the cop’s kid. Dad had offered to help me find a car and I realized I would need to take him up on that.

“Hell’s Bell,” Dad said, giving me an awkward Christian-side-hug. Neither of us were terribly demonstrative. “How’s your mom?”  
“She’s good,” I said, hefting my bag. Dad tut-tutted and took my bag for me. I hadn’t brought much stuff with me and I knew I’d have to go shopping for winter clothes anyway. I hadn’t seen a real winter in almost ten years. It would be a novelty, if nothing else.

“Hey, do you remember Billy Black? From LaPush?” Dad said, drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel.  
I racked my brain: I did in fact, remember him. His son Jacob and I used to play together as kids when I would visit for the summer.  
“Yeah, vaguely,” I said. “Why?”  
“Well, he’s been in a wheelchair now for a few years and can’t drive his truck anymore. I can get it cheap if you’re interested.”  
“Is it a really big truck?” I asked. I’d be nervous as hell driving one of those hillbilly shitkicker pickup trucks.  
“Ehhh… it’s an old truck. A Chevy. But it’s been well-loved.”  
I nodded. “Let’s look at it. As soon as I get a part time job, I can go in with you for half if you want.”  
“I’ll call Billy tonight then,” Dad grinned. “But don’t worry about the cost. I’ll handle it. I’m just glad you’re here.”  
“Don’t get all sappy on me, Chief Swan.”  
“Never, Hell’s Bell.”

I couldn’t stop staring at the scenery. So much endless green, wide rushing rivers. The moss-covered trees were beautiful, but almost alien to my eyes that were used to flat desert. Maybe I was the alien, visiting a strange, new world.

The only thing left to be nervous about was starting school tomorrow. My phone beeped: it was Jessica. She was a Forks girl I’d been friends with as a kid, and we friended each other on Instagram last year, so at least I’d have one familiar face to see in this uncertain place. I couldn’t shake this sense of unease… like I was on the precipice of something huge and unknowable.

After dinner, I heard a horn honk outside. Dad enthusiastically beckoned me out. In the driveway was an old-school Chevy pickup, looking stout and tough. A man in a wheelchair came out from behind it, followed by–

“Jacob?” I said, astonished. Could this tall drink of water really be the same skinny little kid I raced bikes with?  
“Hey, Bell,” he said, grinning and gave me a hug, his long hair falling into my face. He’d grown up tall and unexpectedly cute, I had to admit.  
“Little Bella!” said Billy from his chair. “You like the truck?”  
I peered inside the cab. “It looks amazing!” It was a manual. Uh-oh.  
Dad caught my glance, and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you.”  
As Dad and Billy smoked cigarettes, I asked Jacob, “Will I see you tomorrow at school?”  
Jacob looked crestfallen. “I go up at the Rez. But we can hang out anytime you want.”  
“That would be cool,” I said. Yes Bell, you’re just so coooool.  
I practiced driving the truck around the block for an hour or so until Dad declared I wouldn’t kill anyone behind the wheel, probably.

The next morning I decided the best tactic would be to stay as unobtrusive as possible. This new school was actually a lot smaller than my old one, but I still managed to get lost. I was struggling to decipher my schedule when I heard:

“Bell!” Jessica came up and hugged me from behind. “I’m so glad you’re actually here!”  
“Hey,” I said, untangling myself from her. Jessica was just as huggy now as she was when she was little. “I was this close to skipping school on the first day. Are you in my–” I checked the schedule. “English class?”  
“Yeah!” she said, grabbing my wrist. “Come on, I’ll show you where all the cute guys sit at lunch.”

Jessica introduced me to her friends at the lunch table, and I thought I saw them wince at hearing my last name, but I probably just imagined it. My nerves were too jangled to eat, so I just cradled an apple as all the gossip went on around me. The clatter and din of the cafeteria was a low-key blur. The only thing that stood out was a table of kids on the other side of the room: they were kids and yet… not kids. They held themselves in a way that I’d only seen adults do: self-assured and languorous. Like me, they weren’t eating though they had lunch trays in front of them. Why even get food if you weren’t going to eat? All of them were strangely attractive, in a Village of the Damned kind of way.

I spoke for the first time since sitting down: “Who are those guys?” I asked Jessica.  
Jessica glanced over and rolled her eyes. “The Cullen kids. They’re all rich. Personally, I think they’re in a cult.”  
“What, seriously?” I’m agog at the thought.  
“Yeah. They don’t talk to anyone but each other, ever.”  
“And they’re all related?”  
“I think they’re like, foster kids? But they’re together. Like–” and Jessica did that hand-motion where you jab your left index finger through a hole made by your right index finger and thumb. “–TOGETHER together.”  
“Whoa,” I said. That did sound pretty culty.  
“Jessica, stop filling the new girl’s head with bullshit,” said Eric.  
“Don’t get pissy just because Alice won’t look at you twice,” quipped Jessica. “I’m just saying what we already know.”

I glanced back one more time: I couldn’t help myself.  
Three of them were staring at me.  
Their eyes were black. No iris.  
I quickly turned away, shivering. Something about them was so… wrong.

It was a relief to walk into the Bio classroom: it looked just like the one at my old school, but then I guess those kind of classrooms are all the same really. The teacher absently handed me my book and lab notebook and waved me away to find my seat. The only open seat was next to one of those Cullen kids. Oh god.

I had no choice but to sit next to him. He glared at me as though offended by my very existence. Same to you, asshole, I thought venomously. As I sat, he then covered his mouth and nose. Now THAT really pissed me off. It was like he was trying to hold his breath. I’d showered, my clothes were clean, he was just being a dick for no reason. Normally I like biology, but that particular class felt excruciatingly long. When the bell rang, both he and I leaped out of our seats, though he reached the door quicker than I did. Mike, whom I’d met at lunch and who saw the whole thing go down, looked at me with sympathy. It was tremendously embarrassing.

I walked to my locker, feeling both humiliated and furious, angry tears pricking my eyes. The Cullen family can suck my dick, I decided. Now I was genuinely considering cutting out for the rest of the day… but I knew I couldn’t. I found myself wishing that Jacob was at this school with me.

After final period, I went to the admin office to give the receptionist my paperwork and saw the same Cullen kid again. I could only hear bits of their conversation (“transfer out”, “unacceptable”, "away from her") and he looked enraged. I stayed far on the other side of the office, and as the door opened and he walked out, he looked almost violently ill, like he was about to throw up. I watched as he more or less ran away. It was bizarre and creepy.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day was actually a lot better. I told Jessica what had happened in Bio and she declared the Cullens to not only be a cult, but an evil cult full of probable serial killers. Jessica was nothing if not loyal. Additionally, I was slowly starting to get brave and actually talk to other people, rather than staying mute. Having lunch with Jessica and new friends Mike, Angela and Eric was actually fun, but I was dreading Bio class. Mike told me that the Cullen kid (Jasper? Edward?) was absent, but even so I was surprised and relieved to see Cullen was a no-show at my lab table. Part of me wanted to get in his face and yell at him, but maybe having that option taken away from me was for the best.

Wednesday afternoon, I got back from grocery shopping (all Dad had in the fridge was a bottle of ketchup, two Kraft singles, and a wilted head of lettuce) and got a call from Mom.  
“How are you liking it up there, babes? Is the rain getting to you?”  
“No,” I said, “It’s actually good for my pores.”  
“Are the kids there being nice to you?”  
“Yeah, yeah… one or two weirdos, but I’m making friends.”  
“Not surprising,” Mom said. “There were a lot of aging hippies and gurus up there in the eighties. You’re probably attending school with some of their kids.”  
I couldn’t help but think of Jessica’s cult theory. Maybe she wasn’t too far off.

That night I had a nightmare, one of the most vivid I’ve ever had. I’m in my own bed, in my own pajamas, the window is open. There, standing at the end of the bed is the Cullen guy. His eyes are red and the fingers on his hands turn into claws. I’m frozen in terror. He lunges at me, and I grab a knife (no idea where that came from) and plunge it as hard as I can into his chest. His blood spatters all over me and he howls in this screeching, unearthly way. I start screaming too as I stab him over and over and over. I woke up shaking, gasping and sweaty.

The next morning I was groggy and tired. I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I’d stayed in bed reading a Lilian Jackson Braun book until the sun came up. At school, I chugged two iced coffees in a row, and prayed fervently to any god listening that Cullen would be gone again. The gods smiled upon me: I had the lab table to myself. In fact, he was a no-show for the rest of the week. It was insane to me that someone would drop out of school over hatred of a person they’d never even spoken to, but that seemed to be what happened.

Jessica and Mike were planning a trip to LaPush Ocean Park to go surfing and invited me. I leaped at it: I don’t surf, but I love the ocean, and I wondered if I could get hold of Jacob so that we could hang out together. I thought of asking Dad for the Black family’s home number, but I knew that would result in the third degree, so I’d have to figure something else out.

Monday morning, I was walking with Jessica, Eric and Angela when I saw white fluffs falling from the sky. “Ohhhh my God,” I gasped, extending my hands. It was magical. I stared intently at the flakes landing on my sleeve.  
Jessica laughed. “That’s so cute,” she said to Eric. “She’s like an alien visiting Earth for the first time.”  
“Cut me some slack,” I said. “I haven’t seen snow since I was like, seven.”  
We were still talking about the snow when we walked into the cafeteria, but my good mood evaporated when I realized Cullen was back, sitting at a lunch table with his not-siblings.  
Jessica saw too, and looked at me in alarm.  
“Fuck,” we both said simultaneously.

My gut was in a knot, and like the first day of school, I was unable to eat. I sipped a soda, while the others debated my situation.  
“Want me to kick his ass, B?” said Mike.  
“As if you could,” laughed Eric.  
“Seriously, Bell,” said Angela. “This school has a zero tolerance bullying policy. If you report him, you can get him expelled like that.” Angela snapped her fingers.  
“I’m not trying to cause trouble,” I said miserably. “I just want him to ignore me. Like, he doesn’t even have to be nice, just… not be mean.”  
We all surreptitiously glanced over at the Cullen table. They were all crushingly beautiful and completely absorbed in each other.  
“New theory,” said Jessica, tapping her fork. “They’re a cult of adults who pretend to be teenagers to go back to school like that one Drew Barrymore movie.”  
“That’s such bullshit,” said Mike. “What adult would willingly go back to high school if they didn’t have to?”

I steeled myself before I walked into Bio, saying to myself: if he gives you any shit, give it right back to him, if he gives you any shit, give it right back to him.  
Cullen was at the lab table. I set down my books with a thud, and stared at the front of the classroom.

“Hello.”  
I swiveled my head around in shock.  
“I’m Edward. I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself before.”  
“uh… Bell. I’m Bell,” I said, attempting politeness. Jeckyl and Hyde over here, what the fuck.  
Class started, and I was relieved to have a reason not to say anything else. I couldn’t help but notice that he was wearing colored contacts that made his eyes look gold. Weird.  
“How do you like the snow?” Edward asked me as we worked.  
“It’s pretty,” I said and shrugged. I was starting to get paranoid: did he catch us looking at him during lunch?  
“What brings you to Forks?” he asked.  
I wasn’t playing whatever game this was, so I said, “Hey, is this anaphase? It is, right?”  
He had the audacity to look annoyed, but peered into the microscope anyway.  
He tried a few more times to open a conversation with me, but I couldn’t stop thinking of the nightmare I’d had: red eyes, the knife. I shut him down every time. I could tell he didn’t like that. He was making a fist under the table, his knuckles white.  
When the bell rang: he positively flew out of the classroom, just like the first time. I guess I’d pissed him off.

Mike, who’d been sitting on the other side of the classroom, approached me and asked, “Was he a dick today?”  
“No, surprisingly,” I said. “Maybe he felt embarrassed or something.”  
“Weird,” he said. “Hey, do you know if anyone’s asked Jessica to prom?”


	3. Chapter 3

Woke up to see a glaze of ice covering everything. As with all things wintry, I was fascinated, then quickly realized how difficult it would be getting to school.  
“Will school be cancelled?” I asked Dad.  
“No chance, Hell’s Bell,” he said. “But I put some chains on your tires. Just go slow and you should be fine.”

Once in the school parking lot, I bent over to examine the tires again to see how the chains held up and… well, then the world exploded. I heard a screeching sound and saw a van, coming directly at me sideways, as if magically drifting. In that stretched-out second I thought, “wow, what a stupid way to die” and the world went dark.

I came to and saw a blurry halo of heads above me and a chorus of babbling voices:  
“–911’s on it’s–“  
“–the fuck, Tyler–“  
“–she dead?!–“  
My head was killing me, and I wiped my nose only to see my hand come away covered in blood. I tried to stand up, only to have Mike and Jessica tell me to hold still, the ambulance was on the way. Behind them I could see the Cullen kid looking disheveled and twitchy.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I tried to say, but Jessica patted my shoulder and said, “Sweetie, your head hit the truck so hard you put a dent in your fender.” I looked over and sure enough, a dent.  
“That’s not possible,” I mumbled. I’d be dead if that was the case.

Once in the ER, I saw Tyler in the next bed over. He was pretty banged up.  
“I’m so sorry, Bell. I was going too fast, the ice…”  
“It’s okay. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s okay.”  
Tyler looked miserable. “Your dad is gonna kill me, and I wanna let him.”  
“I won’t let him,” I said. “We all made it out of it okay. Could’ve been a lot worse.”  
“I’m glad you got out of the way so fast,” Tyler said. “You must have great reflexes.”  
I didn’t know what to say, because I knew I didn’t have great reflexes. I should have been killed.

After what felt like ten hours, the doctor came in to look me over and to tell me the MRI revealed that I was lightly concussed, but otherwise okay. I looked at the doctor’s nametag, and up at his surprisingly handsome face but… gold contacts.  
“Are you the Cullen kids’ dad?” I asked.  
“I am, indeed,” Dr. Cullen said, smiling. An incredibly genial guy for someone in charge of a cult. “Take over-the-counter acetaminophen for the pain and just take a few days to rest. Your father’s positively frantic.”  
“I bet he is,” I said.

Dad got me home and tucked me into bed. “I talked to your mom,” he said, cringing a little, knowing I’d have something to say about that, but I was too wiped to care. “She’s worrying like crazy, but I told her you’d call tomorrow. Okay?” he said.  
“Yeah, okay,” I mumbled, wanting nothing more than to sleep for a year.  
“Maybe they should have cancelled school today after all,” he said, gently closing the door.  
Before crashing out completely, I wondered if I’d gotten out of the way in time myself, or if someone had pushed me, taking the hit for me. There were pieces missing, I knew it. I liked mysteries, but not when they were happening to me personally.


	4. Chapter 4

Because I am stubborn and wanted to believe everything was normal, I insisted on going to school the next day only to learn that my near-death experience was the central focus of school gossip: wild stories about how I’d been rescued by an angel (from the school’s Christian Youth Prayer Gang) and how aliens had stopped the van (from the Pepe Illuminati 6chan Club). It was incredibly embarrassing and I longed for nothing more than the anonymity I’d enjoyed only a day prior. I should’ve taken Dr. Cullen’s advice and hidden out in my room for 72 hours.

“This school has a terrifically short memory,” shrugged Jessica. “It will be over before you know it.” I could only hope she was right.  
Tyler was still crippled by guilt, so much so he could barely look at me. I felt awful for him, but didn’t know how else to tell him that it would eventually be okay. Dad wanted to go on the warpath for him, and I had to explain to him what a profound, dumb accident it had been. I had to admit: my motivation for some of it was selfish. I didn’t want an innocent guy to suffer for an accident, but I also didn’t want to be seen as some kind of narc or snitch.

For the first time since I’d started school, I no longer cared whether Cullen would be mean to me or not. I was still numb from yesterday’s events. Cullen was quiet, spending the lab session staring at me, his lip occasionally curling up at me, as if in disgust. It was unnerving. How long would I have to walk on eggshells, trying to predict which way his manic pendulum would swing?

After Bio, Mike approached me, looking depressed.  
“Are you going to prom?” he asked me.  
“Hadn’t planned on it,” I said grimly.  
“Oh,” said Mike. “Well, I asked Jessica and she said a senior already asked her. So, like… if you do want to go…?”  
My brain was somersaulting: cheating death, then the notion of something as ordinary as a school dance. And as a boy’s second choice, no less. Living in Forks was about to send me to therapy.  
“I mean, I’m gonna be visiting my mom that weekend,” I said, not exactly lying, because I would see Mom around that time, just didn’t know precisely when yet. Yes, okay, I felt guilty as shit. I simply didn’t want to go to a dance with anyone, especially not as a back-up plan.

I’d just opened the door of my truck to go home, when I saw Edward Cullen looking at me through the passenger window. Oh God, now what.  
“I wanted to apologize,” he said.  
“For what?” I asked, spacing the keys between my fingers like Wolverine-style claws.  
“Yesterday. I didn’t mean to hurt you. The van was coming so fast, so I pushed you out of the way,” Cullen said, looking at me intently.  
My mouth dropped open. That would definitely explain a lot.  
“Um, wow… thanks. You must be faster than Usain Bolt,” I finally managed to say. I was flummoxed.  
He shrugged. “I was simply standing behind you. You didn’t see me. In any event, I’m trying my best not to be rude, but it’s better if we’re not friends… it would be more prudent not to be. For you.”  
What, I can’t join your cult? I wanted to say, but bit my tongue.  
“Uh… okay. I mean, thanks for helping me though,” I said, getting in the cab and turning on the ignition, making it clear I was leaving. “Thanks again.”  
“You should stay away from me,” he said in a low voice, leaning his head into the window.  
“… what?” I said.  
He opened his mouth like he was about to say more, but behind him I could see his beautiful not-siblings staring at us. They glared at me as if they wished the van had popped my head like a grape. He walked away from me and back over to them.  
What the hell was all that about?

I called Mom and asked to nail down a weekend for a visit. She was more than happy to do so. I felt slightly less guilty.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day felt like life was attempting a genuine return to normalcy, even though my head was pounding. Jessica excitedly gushed about prom and dress shopping, oblivious to Mike, who looked crushed. Angela nudged me, saying, “Cullen’s over there staring at you.”  
I turned, like an idiot and sure enough, he was sitting alone at a table. He waved at me in a come-on-over motion. My stomach clenched, and I waved back in a “oh hi” way, pretending like I didn’t get it. He threatens me in plain English, then wants me to sit with him? No way in hell.

In Bio, Mr. Banner declared that we would all be learning our blood types… meaning everyone would have to jab their fingers and bleed onto a slide. The smell of blood, combined with my pounding headache (concussions, hooray) meant I’d be throwing up very soon. I begged Mr. Banner to let me go to the office to lay down for a minute, and I guess I looked pale enough that he allowed it. I did tell him my blood type though before I left with Mike: AB negative, one of the rare ones.

Mike gently walked me to the office at arms’ length, saying “Please don’t puke on me, B.”  
“I’m trying not to,” I groaned.  
“Are you gonna be okay to go to LaPush this weekend?” he asked.  
I thought of the beach, of Jacob. “Yeah,” I said. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Don’t look back,” whispered Mike. “He’s following you.”  
“Bell? Are you okay?” said a familiar voice behind us. Oh my God.  
“She’s sick, but she’ll be okay once she lies down for a minute,” Mike said, holding my elbow, looking annoyed at Cullen, who I thought had skipped Bio.  
“I’ll take her the rest of the way,” said Cullen.  
“No!” I said. “No, I can make it. You go back to class.”  
“But–” said Cullen.  
“I said no,” I said firmly. “I’m already feeling a little better.”  
Cullen approached and actually tried to pick me up off the goddamned ground. Shocked, I yanked myself away from both boys and ran into the office on my own. I could see Cullen looking in through the window at me. As I lay on the cot, I wondered: did I have a stalker? An actual stalker? If this got any worse, I’d have no choice but to talk to Dad. This would be one of the few scenarios where having a cop for a dad would come in handy.


	6. Chapter 6

Saturday morning arrived with a bright and sunny sixty degrees, a rare treat for Forks. I was feeling a lot better and was actually excited for the beach trip. Even Dad was enthusiastic, pointing out trails and landmarks on a map for me to check out.

“Phoenix, Arizona!” yelled Mike, as I got out of my truck. I was meeting everyone at a camping/outdoor store before carpooling down. “I’ve got some plastic bags, if you start feeling carsick and pukey,” said Mike, grinning.  
“Oh ha ha haaa,” I said dryly, zipping up my coat.  
I rode shotgun, sort of, squished in the front with Mike and Jessica. Jessica spent the trip livestreaming on her Instagram feed. I tried to duck out of the way of her camera as much as I could.

I felt a visceral thrill when I finally smelled the salt air of First Beach. This wasn’t some timid, touristy Florida beach, this was a wild, rocky shore full of crashing waves and jagged cliffs. It felt so powerful and alive and I wanted to inhale it all in like it was a drug. I was truly an alien, landed in a better world.

After getting everything unpacked and settled, I went on a hike with Mike and Angela and a few others to see the tide pools. I couldn’t stop looking at the scuttling crabs and darting fish. I wanted to touch everything around me. I tripped and fell on my ass a few times, but that wasn’t anything unusual. As we got back to First Beach, there were more arrivals–a group of boys from the La Push Reservation. My heart leaped in my chest wondering if Jacob was with them.

Jacob was there, stoking the driftwood fire, and on seeing me, he swept me up into a big, laughing bear hug. I hugged him back tightly, feeling unexpected tears pricking my eyes. What was wrong with me? We all settled into a comfortable rhythm, talking around the fire. Jacob sat next to me and handed me a soda.

“I hear you had a brush with death, kid,” he said.  
“Oh God, yeah.” I sipped my Coke.  
“Did the truck make it out okay?”  
I choked on my drink, laughing.  
I told him the whole story, ending it with how my new stalker had allegedly pushed me out of the way of the van.  
“Wait, one of the Cullens? That’s who’s stalking you?” Jacob said. He actually looked pissed on my behalf.  
“You know them? The Cullen kids?”  
“Yeah,” he said, a dark expression crossing his face. “I know them. They’re bad news. You’re right to steer clear of them.”  
“I’m amazed he didn’t try to show up here,” I said, looking around.  
“He won’t,” Jacob said, authoritatively.  
“How can you be so sure?” I said.  
“They’re not welcome up here… don’t tell anyone I told you that.”  
I was properly confused. “Well, now you’ve got to tell me everything.”  
“Feel like hearing a scary campfire story?” Jacob said, waggling his fingers.

So, according to the Quileutes oral history, their tribe are descended from direwolves, and wolves are sacred to the tribe. At some point in the 1700’s the Quileutes went to war with a group of monsters called The Cold Ones: vicious, bloodthirsty creatures who could imitate the appearance of the white people encroaching on Quileute land. One group of Cold Ones had offered a truce: they’d stay off the Quileutes land in exchange for being allowed to hunt and kill elsewhere, leaving the Quileutes alone, and the Quileutes agreed.

“So,” I said, my brain processing all this, “What do the Cold Ones have to do with the Cullens?”  
“My grandpa thinks the Cullens ARE The Cold Ones,” Jacob said thoughtfully.  
“He thinks they’re like… zombies?” I asked.  
“More like vampires.” Say what, now?  
“… I know it sounds crazy, right?” Jacob laughed. “My girlfriend hates these stories.”  
Girlfriend.  
I couldn’t fucking win.


	7. Chapter 7

Another nightmare. I’m in the woods, though I can hear the crashing waves of the First Beach close by. It’s night. I look up, there’s no stars, no moon, just an endless black void. Something is tugging at my leg. I look down and see the Cullen kids, but they’re no longer human-looking–they look like leeches, their sucking mouths attaching to my bare feet. I start screaming, trying to run to the beach to wash them off me, but there’s more and more of them and I can’t get away. They start to pull me down into the dark. I can feel all my blood leaving me.

Once again, I was unreasonably awake at four a.m., waiting for dawn. I got out of bed, got dressed before sunrise and walked outside, as if on autopilot. I stood in the middle of the empty road next to my house, breathing in the fog. The whole world was silent and asleep, the only sounds being the crickets singing and the low buzz of the streetlights. The only other beings that would be awake right now would be vampires, I supposed. I began to wonder how hard it would be to get my hands on some wooden stakes and holy water.

To my surprise, the fog burned off and Forks got to enjoy one more rare sunny day. It was so nice that we ate lunch outside.  
“So, you’re coming with us, right?” Jessica asked me, expertly flipping her bottled water in the air and catching it.  
“Where are we going, again?” I asked, squinting in the sun.  
“Noble House first, but if they don’t have any good dresses, then we can try one of those bridal shops. I mean I know you can’t go to prom, but it’s just fun to look, right?”  
“I gotta ask my dad, but I can probably go with you,” I said, looking around for the Cullen kids. They were absent. All five of them. On a bright, sunny day. Did I dare suggest a vampire theory to complement Jessica’s cult theory?

That night after homework, I Googled all the vampire myths I could find and all of them were just legends, stories. There had been documented cases of mental illnesses in people who thought they were vampires or werewolves, but that was pretty rare. Occam’s Razor states that the simplest answer to a question is most often the correct one. So what was more likely? That the Cullen family were a pack of glamorous vampires who just happened to casually walk around in the daytime and attended high school for shits and giggles? Or that they were simply a group of insular weirdos with severe boundary issues? I sincerely hoped it was the latter: if I had a stalker who was also a vampire, I had no idea how I’d keep myself safe from something like that.

The next day, Jessica drove like a bat out of hell, so it was an exhilarating ride to Port Angeles. It felt good to be with girlfriends, free from boy drama, stalkers, and sadness. I knew next to nothing about fashion, but I was simply happy to be along for the ride. Jessica dished all about the cute senior she was going to prom with (“He writes me POETRY, can you believe it?”) and Angela revealed that she was attending with Eric, but only as friends, because neither of them wanted to go solo. Back in Phoenix, I’d been to a few dances with some friends as a group, but never with a date.

Being in the dress store felt kind of like being in a museum, one where you could touch and wear the art on display. The prices of some of the gowns blew me away, some costing more than my truck had. The dress shopping was surprisingly efficient and they both found what they wanted in less than an hour. We had time to kill, so I suggested a bookshop on the corner I wanted to check out. Jessica and Angela perused the knick-nacks, crystals and dreamcatchers while I scoured through anything I could find about mythology or the history of the Pacific Northwest. There was nothing about vampires.

The bookstore was a bust, but I was hungry and excited to try out La Bella Italia. Jessica actually asked for a wine list and got offended when the server laughed.  
“That was a bold move,” I said, impressed.  
“It was worth a shot,” she said and shrugged.  
I was nearly done with my mushroom ravioli when I felt a chill at the back of my neck. Like someone had danced over my grave. I turned around in my chair, looking at the people in the restaurant.  
“Are you okay?” Angela asked.  
“Yeah… yeah, I’m cool,” I said, turning back to the table. “Hey, the Cullen kids. Are they usually all gone on sunny days?”  
“Oh yeah,” said Jessica. “The nice days are so rare that their parents yank them out to go camping and stuff.”  
“And they don’t get in trouble for that? For like, skipping?” I said. I’d never be allowed to get away with that.  
“One of the perks of being in a super rich cult,” said Jessica, sipping her water with her pinky out.  
I twirled my fork in the ravioli on my plate, internally debating. It was time to get some outside input. I looked at Jessica and said, “What if they’re not just a cult.”  
“Oooh, what have you got?” Jessica said, and both she and Angela leaned forward.  
I took a deep breath. “It’s crazy, but hear me out… they don’t eat, ever. I mean, has anyone ever seen them eat? They act like they’re a lot older than we are. Their eyes change color all the time and they’re all super pale. They’re gone on any day where’s there’s real sunlight. They have more money than God.” I said, bracing myself. “What if they aren’t… human.”  
Jessica considered this, delicately wiping her mouth with her napkin.  
“That’s what I love about you, Bell,” she said. “You’re fucking bonkers.”  
“Are you saying you think they’re vampires?” Angela whispered in awe.  
“No! No. I mean, shit. Maybe?” I slumped in my chair. “That one Cullen guy pushed me out of the way of the van. No regular person could do that so quickly and live to tell about it.”  
“Did you actually see him do it?” said Jessica.  
“Well, no,” I admitted. “He told me about it the next day.”  
“And this is the same guy who’s been following you around, right?” Jessica continued. “So, wouldn’t getting your gratitude for pretending to save your life be a total stalker thing to do?”  
I stared at her. “I hadn’t thought about that,” I muttered.  
“Look B, you’ve been through some trauma,” said Jessica decisively. “I think you’ll need a restraining order way before you’ll need garlic and crosses.”


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, after turning over the ignition five times in a row, I realized my truck had somehow died the death, even though it had been working perfectly yesterday. “Shit,” I muttered, kicking the tire. Dad had already left for work, so I couldn’t have him look at it. I’d have no choice but to walk to school. As I walked through the grey veil of fog, I got a full-on chill down my spine as I heard the low purr of a car engine behind me. A new-looking, silver Volvo pulled up alongside me with Cullen himself at the wheel.

“Get in the car,” he said.  
“Excuse me?” I refused to stop walking. He rolled alongside me, matching my pace.  
“You’re going to be late for first period if you don’t get in, Bell.”  
“I’m fine—in fact I know a shortcut. Bye,” I said and jumped across the ditch separating the road from the grass.  
I had what I’m pretty sure what psychologists call the flight-or-fight reaction. I chose flight, and broke into a full on run through the woods, not looking behind me until I reached the intersection with the gas station. Once inside, I panted and bent over, my hands braced on my knees.  
“You okay, hon?” asked the cashier.  
“Yeah,” I gasped. “I’m just late for school.”

Right before Bio, Mike asked me if Jessica had talked about him at all last night. I fudged a bit, and said we focused on our own specific stuff all night. I felt so bad that I forgot about my erstwhile table partner who was waiting for me, glowering.  
“So you’re never going to speak to me again, is that it?” grumbled Cullen.  
“You’re the one who told me to stay away from you,” I retorted.  
“Did it ever occur to you that I can’t stay away from you?” he said quietly.  
I felt that horrible flight-or-fight chill. It was all because of him. God only knew how long he’d really been messing with me.  
“I’m gonna say this as nicely as I can,” I said, looking him in the now-black eyes. “What you’re doing is not okay. You need to stop. If you don’t stop following me around, I will take action.”  
He actually looked offended. “I–I’m only trying to protect you.”  
“From what?! P.E.? Detention? Bears?” I sniped.  
“There a problem, kids?” said Mr. Banner, turning away from the board.  
Both Cullen and I shook our heads.  
“Okay, let’s focus then?”  
Cullen stayed silent for the rest of class, but I could see him stewing. I was trembling. He actually told me he couldn’t stay away–which probably meant he wasn’t even willing to try.  
Cullen whispered, “It’s inevitable. You and me.”  
I whispered, “Shut the fuck up.”  
It took everything in me not to run screaming in terror out of that room.

Mike saw it all and was alarmed enough to walk with me back to my locker, saying “Holy shit, B. That guy looks at you like you’re a steak.”  
Buddy, you have no idea.  
“I… I might have to talk to my dad about this,” I said.  
“Seriously,” said Mike. “Maybe have him give you like, weapons training or something.”

That night, when Dad came home, he handed me a long envelope. “Tickets for your Phoenix trip, got a good price.”  
“Thanks,” I said, setting them aside. “Um… Dad, can I talk to you about something?”  
“Yeah, of course,” he said, looking concerned, but we were interrupted by a truck pulling up outside, and voices volleying back and forth.  
“It can wait, it’s okay,” I said, backing off. I opened the door and felt a massive electric jolt to see Jacob standing there, with his dad Billy holding beers in his lap. Dad and I helped Billy in with the wheelchair, and Billy patted my hand asking, “You good, little one?”  
“Yeah! Yeah.”  
Billy peered into my eyes, scrutinizing me. “You sure?”  
I was thrown off kilter, unsure what to say. “I’m just happy to see both of you,” I said. “Can I take your coats?”

Dad and Billy turned on the game in the living room, and I decided to distract myself by making grilled cheese melts for us all. I was busy in the kitchen when Jacob came in to poke through the fridge.  
“That Cullen guy still bothering you?” he asked, bent over behind the fridge door.  
“Sometimes. I told him to leave me alone,” I said.  
He looked at me, and rubbed his forehead. “Good,” he said. “That’s good.”  
“You want some tea?”  
“Bell, hey…um,” Jacob said, shifting uncomfortably. “I’m sorry if I scared you. Like, with those stories.”  
“What?” I said, flipping the sandwiches. “Hey, no, I like scary stories, they’re fun.”  
“I just didn’t mean to add any more stress than what you’re already dealing with, you know?”  
“No, I know,” I said. I gave Jacob a sandwich, feeling weirdly shy. Making food for him in our tiny kitchen felt intimate in a way I couldn’t explain. Maybe it’s because it was the first time we’d ever been alone together.  
Billy and Dad started cheering in the living room.  
“Guess their guys won,” said Jacob.

We saw off Jacob and Billy, and Dad sleepily said, “That about does it for me… hey, what did you want to talk to me about?”  
I didn’t know what to say, or how to start. My mouth started working soundlessly like a fish.  
“Bell?” said Dad, walking over to me, becoming stern. “Talk to me.”  
“I… I think I need help,” I finally said. “I’m scared.” And I started to cry.


	9. Chapter 9

Dad and I stayed up until after 2 a.m. talking, crying, hashing stuff out. It was like lancing a boil, all the toxins getting sucked away. The only thing he was upset with me about was for not telling him sooner. We both overslept the next morning, and Dad called in an absence for me at school. He wanted to call Dr. Cullen, but I begged him not to: I didn’t want all of the Cullen kids turning on me.

By ten a.m. we were strolling the aisles of the Forks hardware store.  
“Double bolt locks,” said Dad cheerfully, dropping boxes in the basket I was holding. “One of those Ring camera packages, grab that will you? We can’t get an alarm system here, but I’ll call once we’re back home and get someone out to install that.”

After getting security stuff for the house (and pepper spray to carry in my purse), we went to the diner and ate a huge breakfast. Dad told me the story of how he arrested one of the guys from Aerosmith in the 90’s as I wolfed down veggie bacon, eggs and Belgian waffles. It was the first time in a long time I’d felt so close to my dad… and it was the first time in a good while that I felt safe again.

The next day I returned to school in much better spirits. Dad helped me fix the truck (wires that had been yanked loose: I had no proof, but I had my own suspicions as to who did it), & I was feeling confident as I twirled my keychain that had the can of pepper spray on it.

At lunch, Angela leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “I’ve been thinking and I think I have a way to test your theory.”  
“You do?!” I didn’t think they’d taken me seriously.  
“Okay, so birthdays. Everyone celebrates their birthday, right? What if we bake a cake for whichever one of them has a birthday coming up, and give it to them at lunch? They have to eat it or they look like assholes, right?” said Angela, nodding vigorously.  
“Ohhh my God,” groaned Jessica. “That would never work.”  
“What are you talking about?” said Mike.  
“First of all,” continued Jessica, counting on her fingers, “Would you eat a cake that some complete stranger made for you, in front of a big crowd of people? They’d think we were poisoning them. Secondly, what if they’re diabetic or something? That’s a perfectly logical reason not to eat random cake.”  
“They can’t ALL be diabetic,” Angela said and slapped her hands in her lap in frustration.  
“Okay, what the hell are you guys talking about?” Mike said again.  
“Bell and Ange think the Cullens are vampires,” said Jessica.  
“Wait, what?” said Eric.  
“God, lower your voices,” I hissed. “I don’t think… I don’t think anything crazy, okay?” I glanced over to the Cullen table. All five of them were there, but instead of chattering, they were all silent, sharing long looks with each other. Shit, shit, shit.

I trudged to Bio class like a prisoner on a death march. I fairly collapsed into my seat at the lab table and buried my head in my hands.  
“You need to give me a chance,” said Cullen’s voice next to me.  
“No I don’t,” I said, my voice buried under my hair.  
“You shouldn’t listen to…” he said in a near hiss, “ugly rumors from jealous people.”  
I raised my head. Was he referring to Jacob?  
“Because I don’t have the strength,” he said, leaning in, only inches from my face. “to stay away from you anymore.”  
I stood up, clutching my notebooks to my chest like a shield. I knew what I was about to do would probably get me suspended, but I’d had enough.  
“If you EVER come near me again,” I said loudly enough that every head in the classroom turned around, “I’ll see to it that you become a registered sex offender for life… you FUCKING STALKER,” I yelled the last words, and then stomped out of the classroom. As I slammed the door behind me I could hear the gasps of the other kids, and Mike saying “Fuck yeah, B!”

As it turns out, I did get suspended for one day, more for cursing than anything else, which was weird. Fortunately, Dad was pleased that I’d stood up for myself.  
“Won’t this mess up my permanent record and affect my college applications?” I asked him.  
“That’s just stuff they say to scare teenagers,” Dad said. “There is no permanent record before you’re eighteen.”  
I was amazed, though maybe I shouldn’t have been.

On my single day away from school, Jessica and Angela texted me periodically to tell me that the vampire rumor had picked up steam and that kids were openly teasing the Cullen guy for stalking me. The rumor combined with my hyper-dramatic moment of catharsis seemed to have wrecked the Cullens’ air of mystique. Jess sent me a photo of the Cullen kids’ lockers: someone had dumped a pile of cheap plastic vampire teeth in front of them, the kind you wear at Halloween. I started to feel genuinely bad: I never wanted the Cullen kids to get bullied, I just wanted Edward Cullen to leave me in peace.

Around two o’clock I was washing the Chevy, when Billy Black’s big Suburban truck pulled in with Billy waving out the passenger window (his brother was driving). I was disappointed to see that Jacob wasn’t with them, but I remembered that it was a school day after all.  
“Hey little one,” said Billy, handing me a heavy brown paper bag. “This is for Charlie. Some of Harry’s fish fry.”  
“Wow, thanks,” I said. It smelled really good. “I’d steal some of it for myself if I wasn’t vegetarian.”  
“There’s homemade slaw in there too,” Billy said grinning. “So how’s being a juvenile delinquent going?”  
“Oh god,” I groaned, “It’s just for one day!”  
Billy laughed. “Charlie tells me you had a good reason to get suspended though.” He waved me closer and said with gravity, “Sometimes it’s scary to be brave.”  
“Um, I guess it can be,” I said, unsure of what he meant. I wasn’t really brave, just… pissed off.  
He nodded, tapped the door lightly. “You stay safe and tell Charlie hi.”  
I waved at the Suburban until it was out of sight past the horizon.


	10. Chapter 10

The following Monday I was handling it okay until I realized that the five Cullen not-siblings were nowhere to be found. Eric works on the yearbook in the admin office, so hears all the news first: he pulled me aside after first period to tell me that the Cullens had been pulled out of school entirely. I was so ridiculously guilt-ridden.

At lunch, I was near tears and told Jessica: “This was not what I wanted. I never, ever wanted to bully an entire family out of school, holy shit!”  
Jessica placed a firm hand over mine and said, “Sweetie. Take a minute and breathe. You’re not a supervillain. You’re just a regular girl, and for whatever reason, this asshole decided to target you. But you know what?” and she looked at Mike, who looked to Angela, who looked to Eric, who looked to me.  
“We don’t let assholes fuck with our friends,” said Eric with a wink.  
“The vampire teeth were my idea,” Mike said proudly.  
“Don’t say that where teachers can hear you!” cried Jessica, throwing a plastic fork at Mike.

That night, I told Dad about the Cullens’ vanishing act and asked, “Seriously. Is this my fault?”  
“Absolutely not, Bell.” Dad said. “Besides, Dr. Cullen himself came down to the station today to drop off some paperwork and we had a very mature conversation about the matter.”  
“Oh nooo,” I said, cringing.  
“Relax, Hell’s Bell,” Dad said. “Dr. Cullen’s other kids had already told him what his little pissant brat was doing and was extremely apologetic. Besides, he already accepted some board position at a biotech firm up in Maine. He said it’s been in the works for weeks, and they’d already sold their home and were leaving Forks for good anyway.” Dad patted my shoulder. “It’s over.”

The rest of the school week I was twitchy and nervous, constantly looking over my shoulder, expecting to see a Cullen kid there with unearthly eyes and gleaming teeth–but there was nothing. They were all no-shows for the rest of the week, and by Friday I began to actually relax.

Friday night, I took the plane to Phoenix and spent a really good weekend with Mom, Phil, and the boys. Phoenix hadn’t changed at all, but the desert now looked as alien to me as the green world of Forks did a few months back. Saturday night, my phone buzzed with an unfamiliar number and I answered it cautiously: “Swan here.” Best to sound as official as my dad usually does.  
“Bell?” said a warm voice.  
“Jacob!” I said, both relieved and happy.  
“Where are you tonight?”  
“Oh, Phoenix! I’m spending quality time with my mom this weekend,” I said, smiling like an idiot.  
“Ahhh that’s too bad. I know your prom’s tonight, I was gonna ask you to dance.” he said.  
“You’re gonna crash my prom?” I laughed.  
“I was, but now I have like, no reason to,” Jacob said. Was this conversation really happening?  
“Um… I mean, I wouldn’t want to step on your girlfriend’s toes.” I said, actually going there.  
“It’s no big deal. We broke up last week, but we’re cool.”  
I couldn’t speak. My heart lurched.  
“When you’re back, do you want to get burgers or something?”  
“… Yeah! Yes,” I said, my voice cracking. “That would be fun.”  
“Okay, cool. Well… I’ll see ya when you’re back.”  
We hung up and Mom said coyly, “Now that is the smoothest I’ve ever seen you be, babes. Do you feel weird?”  
“No,” I said, surprised at myself. “I feel normal. The most normal I’ve felt in a really long time.”

Epilogue (5 months later):

Late summer in Forks is full of boisterous, outdoorsy activity, most of which I’m too chicken to participate in, like with Jacob’s motorcycles. However, I do like riding the bicycle Jacob loaned me, and I spent one lazy August afternoon riding through the tiny downtown of Forks, the wind blowing my hair deliciously.

I started to glide through an intersection and stopped short just in time to avoid hitting a young girl who’d walked right in front me.  
“Shit, sorry!” I cried.  
“It’s okay,” said the girl, “We didn’t see each other.” She had long brown hair and big doll-like eyes. “I’m still figuring out my way around here.”  
“I remember the feeling. Are you new here?” I said, dismounting my bike.  
“Yeah. My foster parents moved in down the street,” the girl said shyly. She hesitated for a moment as if deliberating, then extended her hand to me. “I’m Bree. I’m gonna be a sophomore.”  
I shook her hand. “Hi, Bree. I was the new kid here last winter. I’m Bell Swan. Welcome to Forks, such as it is.”  
She laughed, and we walked together through the town square under the heavy green shade of the trees.


End file.
